Needs Assessment: A Systematic Approach to …

1 Needs AssessmentA Systematic Approach to data CollectionSecond EditionAnanda Mitraii 2018 Sagamore Venture Publishing LLCAll rights : Joseph J. Bannon/Peter BannonSales and Marketing Manager: Misti GillesMarketing Assistant: Kimberly Vecchio Director of Development and Production: Susan M. DavisProduction Coordinator: Amy S. DagitCover Design: Marissa WillisonTechnology Manager: Mark AtkinsonLibrary of Congress Control Number: 2018930969 ISBN print edition: 978-1-57167-857-7 ISBN ebook: 978-1-57167-858-4 1807 N. Federal , IL book is dedicated to those who have sought reliable data and conducted accurate data analysis to make important decisions about how they serve others vContentsAcknowledgments.

2 IxPreface ..xiForeword .. xiii1 Citizen Input as the Voice of the People .. 1 Whose Voice? .. 3 Voices That Change ..4 Voices That Matter .. 52 Key Objectives in Citizen data collection ..9 User vs. Nonuser ..9 Describing Recreation .. 11 Recreation Needs ..12 What People Think ..13 What People Do ..13 Who the People Are .. 14 Customizing a Study .. 153 Methods of Collecting Input ..17 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Methods ..17 Selecting a Method ..204 Talking to the Community .. 23 Elements of the Focus Group Meeting .. 245 Asking Questions .. 29 Questionnaire Wording and Formatting .. 32 Factors to Consider in Questionnaire Design.

3 34 Conventions to Follow for Questionnaire Format .. 386 Collecting data .. 41 Response Rate .. 41 Modes of data collection ..44vi7 Where the data Come From .. 59%F OJUJPO PG UIF 1 PQVMBUJPO BOE -JTUJOH UIF 1 PQVMBUJPO ..59 Obtaining Representativeness in the Sample .. 63 Random Selection ..64 Sample Selection ..65 Alternatives to Simple Random Sampling ..66 Determining the Optimum Sample Size ..698 Analysis of Quantitative data .. 73 The Basics .. 74 Variables: Independent and Dependent .. 77 Setting Up the data for Analysis .. 78 Descriptive Analysis .. 80 Analysis of Trends .. 825 FTUT PG %J FSFODF ..84 Analysis of Relationships.

4 86 Factor Analysis and Reliability Checks ..889 Analysis of Narrative data .. 91 Collecting data .. 92 Analysis ..94 The Theory of Narbs ..95 Analytic Tools ..96 Analytical Process and Outcomes .. 97 RecStor ..9810 data Utilization ..101 Decision Making ..101 Public Face .. 103 Action Plans .. 10411 Managing a Study .. 105 Timing .. 105 Process and Skill Management .. 107 Resource Management .. 10812 Outsourcing .. 111 Criteria for Making a Wise Choice .. 112 Selecting a Research Group .. 114vii13 Special Applications .. 119 Evaluation .. 119 One-Time Decision Making .. 120 Special Groups .. 120 Appendix A Questionnaire Adult.

5 123 Appendix B Questionnaire Youth ..127 Appendix C Cover 129 Appendix D Maps .. 130 Appendix E Outgoing Envelope .. 131 Appendix F Reminder Postcard ..132 Appendix G Web-Based Questionnaire .. 133 Appendix H Invitation E-Mail .. 137 Appendix I Executive Summary ..138 Appendix J Action Plan ..139 Appendix K Presentation Slides .. 141 Appendix L CompuRec ..153 Index .. 161ixAcknowledgmentsI would like to this opportunity to express my thanks to my wife and son as they have patiently tolerated my erratic writing schedule that was required to complete this book. Without a doubt, this book would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of Professor Joseph Bannon, who has pioneered the idea of doing scientific research to assist in public policy planning with respect to leisure and recreation.

6 His work has inspired me to continue to develop this area of research. In many ways, I am also indebted to the staff of nearly 100 recreation agen-cies with whom I have had the opportunity to work over the last couple of decades. I have learnt from conducting studies for these agencies, and I have learnt from the thousands of people I have had a chance to meet in nearly 700 focus groups over 20 years. All of that has helped to write this book. Of course, this book would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of my family strewn across the world, my colleagues at Wake Forest University, and a rich tapestry of friends.

7 I owe you idea of collecting citizen input before making decisions that would affect the lives of the citizens is fundamental to a democratic society where the people in power are supposed to serve the citizens who put them in power to start with. Furthermore, collecting this information becomes crucial when it is the citizen s money that would be spent by those in power. To do public planning without bringing the public into the process seems to miss the mark of a sound planning process for local governments. This book provides a road map for collecting citizen input whereby the input is reliably collected and honestly used.

8 Different consultants provide different ways of collecting citizen input, and the methods vary in rigor and the quality of information produced. Unfortunately, much of what is touted as citizen input serves as a dog and pony show in which the citizens get a feeling of being involved without any reliable and trustworthy data coming from public meet-ings and such events that are periodically held by consultants. This book provides a rigorous Approach to collecting citizen input, especially in the age of the connected citizen who has numerous digital ways of making oneself heard. It is no longer the case that the netizen (a user of the Internet) is silent, and because of the abundance of the ways in which grievances can be expressed, it is all the more critical to have a Systematic and scientific way to collect and manage the growing amount of informa-tion that is often called big data .

9 As is the case in any scientific method, this book offers a treatment that can be conducted by anyone who is able to follow the direc-tions in the book correctly. This makes the process repeatable and testable, both of which are critical to the scientific method. For the recreation practitioner, this book would show the best practices of collecting citizen data and, most important, allow the recreation professional to recognize the unscientific attempts at citizen data collection and be wary of information generated by less reliable methods. xiiiForewordby Dr. Joseph J. Bannon, Professor EmeritusUniversity of IllinoisI first became acquainted with Ananda Mitra in the early 1980s when he was a staff member at the University of Illinois Survey Research Laboratory.

10 He was involved in developing Needs assessments and community surveys, and I asked him to evaluate several questionnaires created by the Office of Recreation and Park Resources at the University of Illinois. He is well qualified in the area of Needs assess-ment and has a great understanding of survey the years, we worked together to conduct Needs assessments for park and recreation agencies throughout the country, evaluating and reporting on the recre-ation and leisure Needs , desires, and future developments in many communities. Mitra understands the importance of eliciting supportable data and making it acces-sible to agencies in a reliable and user friendly manner so they may more efficiently and effectively meet the Needs of their constituents.